Chapter 12: Vulnerability of fishes of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change

Climate change has already caused significant impacts to Earth’s ecosystems. Shifts in plant and animal biogeographic ranges, changes to population abundance, adjustments in the timing of seasonal activities and the establishment of invasive species have all been attributed to climate change. Most examples of biological impacts from climate change involve terrestrial species, however, similar effects have been observed in marine species, especially from temperate regions. The impact of climate change on coral reefs has also been widely considered, mostly with regard to coral bleaching and the degradation of coral communities. Much less attention has been given to the impact that climate change will have on other organisms that are associated with coral reefs. Fish are one of the most conspicuous and diverse components of tropical marine ecosystems, yet how they will be affected by climate change has not been comprehensively assessed.This is Chapter 12 of Climate change and the Great Barrier Reef: a vulnerability assessment. The entire book can be found at http://hdl.handle.net/11017/13

Encouraging female entrepreneurship in Jordan: environmental factors, obstacles and challenges

The number of female entrepreneurs and their contribution to the economy is steadily rising. Yet research suggests that female entrepreneurs face more challenges and barriers than their male counterparts. This is expected to be even more prevalent in Islamic contexts, which are characterised by conservative and patriarchal societies. In this research, 254 female business students from a private and a public university responded to a questionnaire that gauges their perceptions about potential barriers to entrepreneurship in Jordan and whether the business education they are receiving helps to prepare them for future entrepreneurial activity. Our results help to form a basis on which a deeper understanding of the phenomena can be achieved through more in depth future research. Among the main environmental factors that worry potential female entrepreneurs are the weakness of Jordanian economy, lack of finance, fear of risk, gender inequality and inability to maintain a work and private life balance. Our results also show that students are really not aware of the opportunities available to them and are unable to make a proper assessment. We call on both universities and the Jordanian government to put more emphasis on practical entrepreneurial education and encouraging women to play a much more active role within the workforce

Consumption of coral propagules represents a significant trophic link between corals and reef fish

Mass spawning of corals provides a large seasonal pulse of high-energy prey that potentially benefits reef fish that are capable of capturing and digesting coral propagules. This study examines the range of fish species that consume coral propagules and also tests whether reef fish experience a significant increase in physiological condition when feeding on coral propagules. Thirty-six species of diurnal reef fish were seen to consume coral propagules released during mass coral spawning. Stomach content analyses of three reef fish species (Pomacentrus moluccensis, Abudefduf whitleyi, and Caesio cunning) revealed that both P. moluccensis and A. whitleyi feed almost exclusively on coral propagules during mass coral spawning. Fish feeding extensively on coral propagules also amassed considerable lipid stores, which could greatly improve the quality and survivorship of their progeny. In contrast, C. cunning consumed only very small quantities of coral propagules, and showed no detectable change in lipid stores during the course of the study. This study provides the first direct evidence that reef fish benefit from mass coral spawning, and reveals a potentially significant trophic link between scleractinian corals and reef fish

Début de validation de l'intérêt des légumineuses annuelles par l'étude de 3 systèmes d'élevage ovin du sud de la France

International audienc

Effect of laser repetition rate on the growth of Sc₂O₃ via pulsed laser deposition

This paper reports a study of the effect of laser pulse repetition rate and substrate temperature on the properties of crystalline Sc2O3 films grown on <0001>-oriented sapphire via pulsed laser deposition (PLD). For the range of substrate laser-heating powers investigated, optimum <111>-film growth was obtained at the highest available repetition rate of 100 Hz. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that a decrease in the repetition rate favours highly textured/island growth. The repetition rate was also proven to affect the lattice constant of the films, with a difference up to 0.3% between the films grown at high and low repetition rates. The general trend indicates that the out-of-plane lattice constant of the film shifts closer to the bulk value when the pulse repetition rate is increased. However, the lattice constant could also be reduced through in-situ post-growth annealing, which had the additional benefit of reducing the width of the (222) rocking curve peak. This work provides further evidence that energetic-PLD dynamics leads to higher quality PLD-grown crystalline films and for this material undermines the old adage that lower pulse repetition rates lead to higher quality thin-film crystalline growth